On eve of first day of Ramadan, Israel launches new air attack in Gaza

Israel said Thursday it launched an overnight air raid on a Hamas facility in Gaza after gunfire from the territory targeted its soldiers and damaged a building. “The Israeli army struck targets belonging to Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, including terrorist infrastructure and weapons-making facilities,” the military said in a statement.

Palestinian security sources confirmed the target was a Hamas base, saying there were no immediate reports of injuries. On Wednesday, Israeli tanks fired at three Hamas positions after shots from Gaza were fired at Israeli soldiers and bullets from a heavy machine gun hit a house in the town of Sderot.

The exchanges of fire came after weeks of mass protests and clashes on the Gaza border, which peaked on Monday when some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces.